Starting a tellurium copper pocket fidget toy and fetish. Quarter inch thick tellurium copper – this stuff machines, engraves and carves really well! None of the gummy/smeary problems ordinary copper has.
Marking out and cutting the blank to size.
I’ll use the exact dimensions to computer model the design for CNC rough out. I’ve used Autodesk Fusion 360 for CAD modeling.
Above
, I’m CNC milling the design into the front side of the tellurium copper blank, using 1/16 inch diameter carbide square and ball nose end mills, no coolant.
Here’s a closeup of one of the skulls after machining. I’ve darkened the copper for better visualization. Notice the little milling marks left behind by the milling operations. This was about two hours of machining.
You can see where I’m using small gravers to cut a fine line around the margins of the skull. This will remove the fillet left by the ball nose end mill in the final milling pass.
Above
, I’ve been carving and engraving around the edges of the skull to improve the fineness of the presentation. I’ve discovered no matter how fine I try to mill the shapes, it simply can’t compare to the fineness of hand engraving. The CNC is very useful for roughing out the shapes and saving me a fair bit of time, but it’s not what I’m ready to accept as a finished product compared to fine hand engraving.
Above, all of the skulls have had their margins carved/engraved and refined.
Here I’ve used a tiny punch made from a worn-out carving bur to forge the skull surface smooth. This removes those tiny mill marks, and leaves a pleasing texture behind. Of course, you can use a polished punch for a smoother look, but I like this texture for the appearance of a long-buried skull.
And, above, all the skulls given the same punch treatment. I’ve also used a sharp carbide stippler to stipple all the background areas.
Here I’ve added a patina and inked the deep spots for extra contrast.
Now for the back side…I’ve CNC milled the skull shapes, and begun stippling the inside of the skull and the spiral handprint. You can see the carbide stippling point in my Lindsay Nitro G20 Airgraver.
You can see the stippling effects on the left side of the above image, in contrast to the smooth copper areas not yet stippled.
Above, the stippling is complete, and the tiny skull in the eye has been refined in exactly the same manner as its’ big brothers on the front side.
In the above two images, the back side has been patinated like the front.
The Small Skull Pocket Fetish is finished through a unique technique of machining combined with hand carving and hand engraving, each method carefully chosen for its own best effect. This unique fidget toy is 1.25 inches wide by 1.75 inches long, of an unusual tellurium copper alloy specially formulated for excellent carving characteristics and it’s lovely copper color. Small leather wallet included to keep your fidget toy safe from mishap in your pocket.
Thanks for Looking!
Tom Sterling
http://www.sterlingsculptures.com
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